January 2011 - Cape Romain

 
We are still finding the large schools of resident redfish in the ICW and creeks around Bulls Bay but finding them is one thing, getting them to bite in this cold is another. Various soft plastic baits like gulps, exudes and black and gold clouser flies are still working well, However the best results we had this month were on Tube Baits juiced up with Pro Cure. Tube baits are perfect for rigging weedless when fishing around grass or oyster beds, and the hollow body allows the pro cure to really hold inside the bait. Tube Baits also have great action when fished slow which is what how you want to be fishing this time of year. My preferred color in the ICW is a Rootbeer with Gold Flakes, and a Smoke Silver for the clear water in the Creeks and Bays.
January is a perfect month to get out and scout new redfish spots and I was able to get out a couple of days and do just that. My scouting trips usually start in Google Earth and I’ll try to find a creek or a flat with all the signs of redfish habitat.... Shallow Mud/Oyster Flats with deeper water nearby, small feeder creeks and hard bottom/oyster lined creeks. I try to pick the bluebird days with a midday low tide which will make spotting redfish easier. Being creatures of habit, I can usually expect to find them in the same general area year around.

March 2011 - Cape Romain & Winyah Bay

Richard and Danny - ICW

Good News! March is over, the days are getting longer and the water is warming up every day. Between the windy and rainy days we managed to slip out on a few nice days last month and found redfish on nearly every trip. Although the numbers wern’t impressive last month, we caught some nice fish on artificials and some real “Creek Donkeys” on crab chunks in shallow water. You’ll know when it’s time to start fishing with crabs when the inlets are blanketed by crab pots and you cant keep any other bait in the water without a crab trying to eat it. Blue Crabs are coming out of winter hibernation and they are swarming the inlets as they begin to molt. A molting blue crab for a redfish is like crack-cocaine to junkie... they simply cant get enough of them! The best way to fish with crab chunks is to remove the top shell, quarter or half the crab in 2-4 pieces(depending on the size of crab) and remove the legs and claws. A 3/0 circle hook on a Carolina Rig with a 3/4oz egg sinker should be sufficient. I also like to fish this rig with a clamp on cork so you’ll know where the bait is and when a fish has picked it up. Although this method of fishing is not the most glamorous, it is the most effective in early spring.

The boys in Charleston are finding tailing redfish on the flood tides and catching them on a variety of flies including the local favorite “Coperhead” fly and dark colored clouser minnows.  There are excellent tailing tides predicted for Cape Romain in mid April so I am looking forward to getting back on the grass flats and busting a few on the fly rod. We hope to be doing a lot of filming in the coming months so be sure and check out our video page and subscribe to our channel... www.youtube.com/carolinaguideservice/

We’ve also been catching a few flounder and there have been some reports of trout showing back up around Georgetown and Charleston. Look for flounder in front of ditch mouths on the last of the falling tide or around structure like docks and jetties. Trolling for Flounder is also a very effective method that is very popular in Pawleys Island Creek and Murrells Inlet. The local tackle shops are very helpful and will assist you with picking out the right gear and bait for flounder fishing... check with Booty's Outdoors in Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island Outdoors on 17N in Pawleys Island.  


-Capt. Jordan